Sewing-machine.



A. EPPLER.

SEWING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE'ZZ, 1912.

1,1 14,240, Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Hill NIH" A.EPPLER.

SEWING MACHINE.

1 APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1912.

1, 1 14,240 I Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW EPPLER, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHIN- ERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

' SEWING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

Original application filed August 25, 1905, Serial No. 275,741. Divided and this application filed June 22,

1912. Serial No. 705,170.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW EPPLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Sewing-Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures;

The present invention relates to curved hook needle sewing machines. It is desirable in machines of this class that the work support during its movements to clamp and release the work be arranged to travel along the .path of movement of the needle. It is also desirable that the worksupport be supported so that the different work engaging positions thereof as determined by work of varying thicknesses lie substantially in parallel planes in order that the work may always be clamped in a certain and reliable manner r-egardless of its thickness. The primary object of the invention is to improve the arrangement and mode of operation of work supports for curved hook needle sewing machines, particularly with a. view to securing the above advantages.

.With this object in view a feature of the invention contemplates the provision in a curved hook needle sewing machine of a work support arranged to move about a center substantially coincident with the center of motion of the needle and means for lel to a fixed plane in all positions of the work support. a

In the accompanying drawings llustrating, the invention in its preferred form, Figure 1 is a right side elevation of the forward portion 0 hand bearing and the hand wheel removed; Fig. 2 is a sectional'pl-an view-showmg the work support locking device and the thread finger actuating mechanism; and Fig. 3 1s a detail sectional view taken on the line y g of Fig. 2, showing the releasing lever for releasing the pawls of the work support holding devices.

The machine illustrated in the drawings comprises a curved hook needle 1, a needle guide 2, a curved awl 3, a, thread finger 4, a

needle is the center.

the machine with the right in the same manner and operated by the same mechanism as the corresponding parts of the machine illustrated in applicants Patent No. 1,030,880, dated July 2, 1912, granted upon application Serial No. 27 5,7a1, filed August 25, 1905, of which the present application is a division. The presser foot is mounted on the forward end of the presser foot slide 9, which is arranged for adjustment as described in applicant s pending application referred to above.

The work support 10 is mounted upon the work support carrier 11. It is slotted to receive the needle, and provided at 13 with a grooving knife 14.. The work support 10 is secured to'the work support carrier 11 by a tongue and groove connection and the cap from the presser foot substantially in the arc of the circle of whichthe axis of the A link 16 pivoted at 17 to the work support carrier and at 18 to a stationary portion of the machine and the bell crank lever 19 pivoted at 20 to the lower end of the work support carrier 11 and at 21 to a stationary part of the machine, affords such support for the carrier, the distance from the pivot 17 to the pivot 18 be-. .ing the same asthe distance of the pivot 20 from the pivot 21 and equal to the radius of curvature of the needle it is apparent .that, the upper surface of the work support being in thepath of movement of the needle,

the .work support will move downwardly along a curved path of which the axis of the needle is the center; thus the work is always correctly positioned with relation to the needle irrespective of variations in the thickness thereof. This feature of construction by virtue ofwhich the work support always moves along the path of movement of the needle-is of advantage because of the reduced width of the needle opening necessary in the work support and for the further reason because of the maintenance of the work engaging surface of the work support in a horizontal plane irrespective of variation of thickness in the materials. This latter feature is particularly important taken in connection with a stationary presser foot, the angle of inclination of which is invariable. By this means the work is always grasped firmly between two supporting surfaceswhich engage considerable areas of the work and hold it from tipping, as distinguished from constructions in which, whenwork. The bell crank lever 19 is also provided with a jaw which engages a block pivotally mounted upon the front end of the work support slide 23 mounted in a guideway in the frame of the machine and normally pulled rearwardly by a spring 24 attached at its forward end to the said slide 23 and at its rear end to the threaded eye pin 25 which, by means of its hand nut, may be adjusted to vary the tension of the spring. It will be seen that although the thickness of the work may be varied, the work support is always held firmly thereagainst by the spring 24, and when it is desired to in-- sert or remove the work the work support may be depressed by the treadle connection referred to. I

Means are provided for locking the work support in position against the material and such means comprise the rack 26 secured to the side of the slide 23 and adapted to be engaged by sliding pawls 27 pressed normally in the direction of the rack by springs 28. Four pawls are provided with their rack engaging faces separated from each other fractional parts of the width of a rack tooth so that the slide will be held in adjusted position Within such fractional portions of the length of a rack tooth. Periodically in the operation of the machine the pawls are required to be withdrawn from engagement with the rack and for this'purpose there is provided the lever 29 ivoted at 30 upon a stationary portion of t e machine and having a dog 31 which enters recesses in the under side of the pawls 27. When the lever 29 (see Fig. 3).1s pressed downward the dog 31 engages the ends of the recesses in the pawls 27 and withdraws them so that they cannot engage the teeth of the rack 26. The lever 29 may be engaged and operated by hand when it is desired, but the automatic release of the work support is effected by means of the lever 32 pivoted at 33 upon a stationary part of the machine, the front end of which engages the end of the adjustable abutment screw 34 secured in an upwardly projected portion of while the awl is back and just before it starts downward the wbrk support is released. During the movement of the awl from its rearmost position to a position where it is about to engage the materials the pawls again lock the work support until the feeding movement is about to begin, at which time the work support is again released andremains released duringthe feed movement of the awl while the awl is retracting and the needle advancing through the materials and until after the looper has laid the thread in the hook of the needle and the needle is about to begin its retractin stroke when the pawls are again permitte to engage the rack and lock the work support until the awl has completed its back feed and it is again about to make its movementremoved from the machine, and the other during the time the feed is taking place and the thickness of the material between the presser foot and the work support is liable to vary. This latter of course, contributes to the ease of feeding the work.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention, and having described the specific construction of the preferred embodiment thereof, what is claimed is:

1. An outsole shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle, a presser foot, a work support arranged to cooperate with the presser foot to support the sole in the proper plane with relation to the stitch forming devices and mounted to move toward and from the presser foot about a center substantially'coincident with the center of motion of the needle, and means for supporting the work support so that its work engaging surface is parallel to a fixed plane in a1 2. An outsole shoe sewing machine, aving, in combination, stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle, a presser foot, a work support arranged to cooperate with the presser foot to support the solo in the proper plane with relation to the stitch forming devices and mounted to move toward and from the presser foot about a center substantially coincident with the cenpositions of the work sup ort.

ter of motion of -the needle, and swinging connections for supporting the work support so that its work engaging surface is parallel to a fixed plane in all positions of the work support.

3. An outsole shoe sewing machine, hav-- ing, in combination, stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle, a presser foot, a work support mounted to move toward and from the presser foot about a center substantially coincident with the center of motion of the-needle, and means for supporting the work support so as to maintain its work engaging surface parallel to the work engaging surface of the presser foot in all positions of the work support.

4. An outsole shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle, a presser foot, a work support mounted to move toward and from the presser foot about a center substantially coincident with the center of motion of the needle, and swinging connections for supporting the work support so as to maintain its work engaging surface parallel to the work engaging surface of the presser foot in all positions of the work support. p y

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW EPPLER.

Witnesses:

CHESTER E. Rooms, RUTH E. WARD. 

